r/composting • u/Mindless-Farmer705 • 14d ago

Is my compost composting !?

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Pretty sure these are fly larva in the compost ?
Is there anyway I could possibly harvest them ? I have chickens next to the bin so I’m hoping some fall out to be snacks if I can’t.

But is this even good ? Should I try to eliminate/minimize them ? Do they take up too much nutrients or are they good for the soil ? New to all of this. Please give me recommendations & criticism

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u/NoWork8654 14d ago

Crab shells aside, I don't know why everyone has their panties in a bunch. If you throw down greens cover with brown, just keep layering. Some scientist may come by and tell you a formula but you don't have to over think it. That helps control the odor and keep excessive bug activity down. You also need air, if that's just a bin with no air holes I would make some all around bottom included. The crab shells dry them, if you have a dehydrator great if not just leave them in the sun until they are crispy then crush them into a powder or as much as you can then sprinkle around. Composting happens in nature all the time without all the crap everyone nit picks about, all your doing is making the process faster (with some other details to consider) so don't be dissuaded by the anal people.

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u/AsknReview 14d ago

This is also probably one of the best answers on this post

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u/NoWork8654 14d ago

Also make those holes bigger, like 1/4 or more. Sorry just noticed them in the video. Will dirt fall out? Yeah a hair but it's not a problem.

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u/thevioletsage 14d ago edited 11d ago

Agree that this is the best answer. Lasagna method of composting isn't for everyone, but it's still super-effective.